Firestorm
by Windswept Blossoms
Summary: She had gone down in flames, but returned coronated with a crown of fire.


"Hak." Yona mumbled softly, her fingers curling in the ex-general's cloak. Her tone was bitter and her hood was down, obscuring her face from view. Underneath though, she probably looked as miserable as she sounded.

Soo Won studied the rugged group of beasts from atop the dais, donning the same impassive expression that he had worn on the night he murdered King Il. He folded his arms over his chest.

Yona seemed to have grown an inch or two taller, but girls didn't usually start growing again at her age. Soo Won suspected the apparent change in her height had something to do with her now domineering presence. Although her head was down, she stood straight with a spine of steel and her shoulders rolled back. It wasn't the posture of a proud young lady raised in luxury, but a warrior who had fought and survived. Yona was no longer the silly and airheaded princess of Kouka: she was a queen and she was seeking revenge for her father and her rightful place on the throne.

In contrast, Hak's head was up, glowering at Soo Won darkly. If looks could actually kill, the former Wind Tribe General would already have slaughtered him and left his corpse rotting on his ill-acquired throne. He was clutching his weapon so hard his knuckles had turned bone-white. Although Hak's hatred was rolling off him in almost-visible waves, there was something else in his eyes. It was an emotion Soo Won neither dared name nor believe in, not after his close shave with death when the two clashed at Suiko.

The Four Dragons of legend stood behind his childhood friends. The Hakuryuu Kija, his dragon claw almost the same size as his actual body. The Seiryuu Shin Ah, dragon eyes hidden behind a mask, hand holding a sword with no guard. The Rokuryuu Jae Ha, a kunai in each hand, his dragon foot concealed within white boots. And last but not least, the Ouryuu Zeno, looking back at Soo Won with the same inscrutable expression he had wore back in Suiko.

The Ouryuu, in particular, had disturbed Soo Won's sleep for many nights. He seemed to know something about the incumbent King of Kouka that no one else did, but Soo Won couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was. For that split second their eyes had met, the Ouryuu had looked at him in the same way one would look at a ghost. Yona was King Hiryuu's reincarnation, wasn't she? In that case, what did a throne-snatcher like Soo Won had to do with the Ouryuu? In any case at all, how could a boy who looked barely older than seventeen year old Yona possess a gaze more unsettling than wise old Mun Deok's?

Uncomfortably, Soo Won tore his gaze away from Zeno. Behind the cluster of fighters was a boy who seemed about the same age as Yona, if not slightly younger. From the looks of his beige hair and blue eyes, he seemed to be from the Fire Tribe. He didn't look like he could fight, especially not with that small frame and terrible slouch in his shoulders, but something about the air around him suggested that he was as important to the group as much Yona or Hak or the Dragons, fighter or not. A squirrel was perched on his shoulder, watching the confrontation with the curious gaze of an otherwise ignorant animal.

In the throne room that would soon become stained with blood, not a single one of its occupants moved. The only sound was the ragged breaths of the group that had fought their way in, and the crash of thunder and howl of wind outside that foretold an imminent rainstorm. Soo Won reached for his father's sword on the table. Hak immediately tensed and lifted his oversized spear from the ground. The Dragons crouched, preparing for a fight.

"Stop!" Yona called out, her voice reverberating with authority. She reached up, untied and slipped out of her cloak, throwing it to the ground with her bow and arrows. That was when Soo Won saw something he hadn't noticed earlier- his cousin held a sword in her own left hand. It was smaller than an average-sized sword and the sheath was rough and covered in scratches. But when she unsheathed it, the piercing ring it emanated made his doubts about her unassuming weapon vaporise. It was- dare he say- sharper than Hak's glare. Yona stepped forward, but Hak gripped her shoulder, pulling her back.

He seemed nervous, almost scared, as he asked, "Princess, what are you-"

"Let go of me, Hak. Stay with the Dragons. This is not your fight." She turned on him, and Soo Won didn't know what Hak saw in her face, but it was enough to make the man's grip loosen slightly. "Leave." Yona repeated harshly.

Hak was stunned, but only for a short moment before he quickly regained his composure and shook Yona's shoulders with both hands. "Don't be stupid, Princess! Do you know who's standing on that dais?" He questioned angrily, pointing at Soo Won with a bandaged hand. Blood was still soaking through the scraps of white fabric as he spoke. Ju Doh must have put up a good fight- but even the Sky Tribe General was no match for the infamous Thunder Beast.

The King lifted an elegant eyebrow when their eyes met; clearly he didn't hold enough value in Hak's eyes to be addressed even at least by name anymore. But then again, why should he? Hak had always looked up to the foolish previous King and Yona was more precious to him than his own life. They could have been true brothers in blood, and still Hak would never have forgiven him for what he did.

"I'm _not_ stupid." Yona said, annoyance clipping her words. The red-haired princess shoved her bodyguard's arms from her shoulder. "I know how strong Soo Won is. I've seen him fight with you a lot of times. I've seen him on the battlefield as well."

"Yona, maybe-"

"Stay out of this, Kija." Yona snapped before the Hakuryuu could even finish his sentence. She turned back to Hak, who mirrored her irritation on his face. "This is my kingdom. This is my fight, Hak. If I can't take it back with my own hands, I am not qualified to reign." Soo Won heard rather than saw the smile on her face as she continued. "You know how strong I am. You know I can do this."

"Princess!" Hak growled as Yona turned away from him. Now Soo Won saw what it was Hak had seen in her, what it was that could make even a seasoned warrior like that man flinch. The Princess's lavender irises blazed with a fury that the King had never in his wildest dreams imagined he would see from her. Her face was hard, her jaw set in grim determination. Was she truly the spoiled princess who had led a sheltered and protected life in the castle for 16 years? Was she truly the girl who's biggest concern had over a year ago been the weird colour of her hair? Was she truly the cousin who had helplessly awaited her death after seeing that of her father's?

For someone who had known her since her birth, even Soo Won found it hard to believe. It was as if the old Yona had died on the night of the coup d'etat and this new Yona had emerged from the abysmal depths of her tragedy.

She was deadly.

But in the same way, she was also stunning.

"Jae Ha. Please." Yona asked, although it was more a command than a request. The Rokuryuu leapt to the front in the blink of an eye, no doubt with the aid of his magical leg. He whispered something at Hak, and there was a bit of hissing and shoving as the two argued. Soo Won caught snippets like 'too strong' and 'she can do it', before Hak eventually allowed himself to be led off by the former pirate, albeit unwillingly.

The King turned his attention back to Yona. She held her small sword clasped confidently in her small hands, her scabbard already discarded elsewhere. Her stance was good, Soo Won noted. He briefly wondered who in the group had instructed her on swordplay. The obvious answer was Hak, but he would be a fool to rule out Shin Ah. The Seiryuu's mythical weapon were his eyes, said to be more beautiful than any gemstone, but able to freeze any man to stone with a single glance. However, he had never seen this particular dragon's powers in action when they were fighting to save Lili. Instead he had only witnessed the blue-haired boy's frightening prowess with his sword — one with no cross-guard, no less. It was every bit as frightening as his mysterious, otherworldly power.

If her instructor had been Hak or the Seiryuu, did Soo Won stand a lesser chance of defeating his cousin? He pondered this as descended the steps of the dais and drew his own weapon. "It's been a long time, Princess Yona."

"Yes, hasn't it, King Soo Won?" She replied civilly, the rage in her voice already gone, replaced by a steel-edged tone. It could have been Soo Won's imagination, but he could have sworn he saw the haze of a red beast looming behind his cousin. He blinked and it was gone.

"I hope you're not expecting me to go easy on you. If I catch you, I will kill you without mercy." Soo Won told her, his gaze flitting to the band of beasts Yona had assembled. "Even if it means a painful death at their hands afterwards."

"I ask no less of you, Your Majesty. I will bring you to your knees. But should I lose, I promise Kouka will be yours." replied Yona. She had said 'when', not 'if', Soo Won realized. Yona was confident of her ability to defeat him. She raised her voice to address her friends. "If I lose, I want all of you to leave."

"YONA!" Hak shouted, enraged.

"I mean it, Hak!" Yona shouted back, her voice firm, allowing no room for protests. Soo Won saw a glimpse of her sad smile as she turned. "Don't you dare follow me to the sky, or I'll kick you back to the world of the living."

Her voice was softer and for a foolish moment, Soo Won _yearned_ to be the recipient of her gentle words. But he was the man who had ascended to Kouka's throne by his head, not by his heart, and he would not let his emotions get in the way now.

"This may be my last order. Can you obey it, for my sake if not your own?"

Something seemed to click in Hak. He stared at his princess for a moment more, as if taking in her face one last time. Then, the man got down onto one knee, his clenched fist on the ground in the most venerated of bows. The dragons and the younger Fire Tribe boy immediately dropped to the ground behind him. "Yes, Your Majesty." They replied in unison. There was something beautiful about the way their faith in her was absolute.

Satisfied, Yona turned back. Soo Won had to do a double-take. Her eyes gleamed with tears that would never fall. But what truly seized his attention was the wavering tip of her sword as her hands trembled. In that moment he finally realized that, for all her confidence, she was still scared. Still human. But Yona was not here to disappoint and Soo Won was almost proud as the princess stole the first move of a battle that would go down in history as one of the greatest.

* * *

 **A/N: So this has been gathering dust in my phone since last year and I finally pulled it out to give it a quick polish before posting it. Ever since I wrote Crimson Affections, which is about Hak's view on Yona, I've always wanted to do one from Soo Won's perspective as well. But then again, this is more Soo Won and his thoughts about everything rather than just Yona. I do like Soo Won _a bit_ (don't kill me) more than Hak because we rarely get to see his point of view in the manga, so he's an interesting mystery. **

**This started off with an insomniac Soo Won musing about Yona in the middle of the night and I have no idea how it turned into their final showdown. I am happy with the way it turned out because this definitely works better than late night brooding. (That version was so horrible _u_ _rgh_ don't even get me started.) And I was also able to fit in the rest of the Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch - yay for Kija and Shin Ah, who didn't get any proper parts in the previous oneshot.**

 **I'm not sure if my facts are correct because I threw in a bit of everything here and confused myself oops. If you see something that bugs you, don't hesitate to point it out so I can rectify it. With that said, I hope you enjoyed the story :D And reviews are always appreciated~!**


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